Video: ‘Osage,’ ‘Smaug,’ ‘Grudge Match’ coming April 8

Capsule reviews of the next week’s video releases, on DVD and Blu-ray, including special features:

April 8

“August: Osage County” (R, 119 minutes, The Weinstein Company/Anchor Bay): Meryl Streep utterly dominates this screen adaptation of Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning 2007 drama of family dysfunction. In it, she plays another in a series of recent roles that tap into the actress’s uncanny ability to evoke both horror and pity at her character’s flaws. Yet with her performance as Violet Weston, the venom-spewing matriarch of an extended family that includes three grown daughters, the actress may have outdone herself. Violet, who is suffering from mouth cancer and addicted to pain pills, is a woman given to such toxic utterances and such a corrosive style of mothering that it’s a wonder more of her relatives haven’t developed cancers of their own, simply from long-term exposure. Streep and Julia Roberts (as oldest daughter Barbara) earned Oscar nominations for their performances. Contains crude language, sexual references and drug abuse. Extras include commentary with director John Wells and cinematographer Adriano Goldman, a making-of featurette, deleted scenes and an interview with Letts on writing.

“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” (PG-13, 156 minutes, Warner): The second part of Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” trilogy goes a long way toward righting the wrongs of the first movie, which was even longer. The first installment of the adaptation of the beloved fantasy-adventure novel was bloated, boring and slow to get started. Jackson’s handsome new addition to the canon is a fleet, fun redemption of the film franchise, the first chapter of which had J.R.R. Tolkien fans crying foul. Whether the tale of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and 13 dwarves in search of lost treasure will appeal to anyone besides fans of the 1937 book is dubious. Still, for those of us who love Tolkien, the new movie is a treat. Contains violent and frightening imagery. Extras include an on-the-set “In the Company of the Hobbit” featurette, another behind-the-scenes featurette, Jackson’s production videos. a New Zealand locations featurette and Ed Sheeran “I See Fire” music video.

“Grudge Match” (PG-13, 113 minutes, Warner): Sylvester Stallone stars as Henry “Razor” Sharp, a former light heavyweight champ who inexplicably fled the sport in his heyday, avoiding a tie-breaking fight with longtime rival Billy “The Kid” McDonnen (Robert De Niro). Sly’s still got it — when it comes to action. Razor is lured out of retirement for the bout he evaded three decades earlier, and all the requisite training scenes — the jabbing and jogging, raw-egg-swilling and truck-pulling — are nearly as exhilarating as they were in 1976. All these years later, the 67-year-old Stallone still looks the part with his tattooed barrel chest and ability to believably land a punch. His acting, however, is a little rusty. With his garbled delivery, he never was a paragon of emotional depth, but now his frozen face only exacerbates his shortcomings when the comedic drama turns serious. Contains sports violence, language and a sexual situation. Extras include deleted scenes. Also, on Blu-ray: “The Bull & The Stallion,” “In the Ring With Kevin Hart,” “Ringside With Tyson & Holyfield,” “Blow for Blow With Larry Holmes,” “Kevin Hart Unedited,” alternate opening, alternate endings with an introduction by Peter Segal.